Marilyn Hurt

What's on Hurt's Plate?

SCHOOLS: 16

STUDENTS: 8,000

STUDENT MEALS:10,000-13,000 daily

CONTRACTED

EMPLOYEES: 90

IT WAS DURING THE TENSE, threatening, political storms of 1994 in Washington, D.C. that Marilyn Hurt earned her national reputation for expertise in the political process and personal persuasion. A new Congress was looking to reduce the size of the federal government by among other things, turning federal school meal programs over to the states. Hurt, as chairperson of the legislative committee of the American School Food Service Association (ASFSA), was a pivotal player in the association's successful effort to rally public opinion in support of keeping school meals right where they were, as part of the federal government.

The local reputation Hurt has built in a 23-year career in the mid-sized, Midwestern city of Lacrosse, Wisconsin, is equally impressive. Throughout this city of 51,000, which looks out over the Mississippi River to the west and is bracketed by craggy, steep bluffs on the east, Hurt has pushed the boundaries and expanded the definition of what a schoolbased student foodservice program can be. Here, she is generally recognized as the voice of passion and reason on nutrition issues for people of all ages, as the architect of programs and services that provide food beyond school cafeterias to audiences far beyond school-age and as the creative, energetic champion of those who are hungry.